Even Better
by Octavius Pepper
Summary: Tonks and Remus. Significant moments.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Not mine.

**Even Better**

Andromeda spots him in Diagon Alley one day, nearly eight years after what he mentally refers to as "That Night."

"Remus," she greets him warmly, matronly, almost, and he doesn't even have to remind himself that she has a daughter. He has gotten old, but he hasn't grown up, not in the right ways, and she is a living reminder that time does pass. That people move on.

"Andromeda," he greets her back, and tries not to notice the way her eyes linger on his threadbare cloak, the circles under his eyes. She invites him to tea and he accepts, reluctantly, gratefully. He hasn't had a square meal in a few days.

The house that she shares with Ted is small, but cozy, and she makes a show of bustling around to make him tea. She is proud, he realizes, of her small victories, her independence. Her security shows in the non-magical way she brews the tea, in the pictures on the mantle, half of which are frozen in place.

"How have you been, Remus?" she starts, and she smiles to let him know that her concern is genuine.

"Good, I've been tutoring…" he mumbles, and thinks of his shabby suitcase with its peeling letters, of the families that have kicked him out when he tells them what he is.

"Mm," she murmurs, and surveys him over the rim of her teacup. Her eyes are dreadfully like Sirius's, and he forces himself to look away, forces himself back to reality, however terrible it might be. In the first year after, he had to do this three or four times a day. Now, it's mostly in the mornings, in the twilight time between sleeping and waking, when every bit of him wants to believe that it was all just a bad dream.

They hem and haw over the weather, over new Ministry appointments. Andromeda voices concerns that her daughter, Nymphadora—Remus thinks that maybe Andromeda hasn't given up on the whole pureblood thing completely—is considering joining the Aurors.

"She's in a spot of trouble, actually—the things she and that Charlie Weasley get up to!—and I've made her come home for Easter hols. She's due any minute, in fact—"

As if on cue, the fireplace suddenly blares to life and a teenage girl with bright yellow hair and trunk in hand comes spinning into view.

"Dora!" her mother cries, and leaps up to embrace her. Remus shifts uncomfortably in his seat as the girl eyes him over her mother's shoulder. "Oh… Dear, this is Mr. Lupin. He's a… he's an old friend."

Nymphadora nods stiffly at him and then tell her mother that she is going to her room to unpack. Her trunk bumps on each step as she drags it upstairs.

Andromeda falters. "She's not usually this rude… Probably just vexed because she doesn't get to spend the holiday with her friends…" But she frowns and excuses herself to get more tea, and Remus wonders at this picture of domestic tranquility, and whether peace is always just another war.

He gives a start. The girl is back in the room, arms crossed, looking at him sullenly. They stare at each other.

"I like your hair," he offers awkwardly. It's even true. The yellow is disconcerting at first, but on closer inspection, it brings out the light in her eyes, the rosiness in her cheeks. He wonders if she dyed it herself, using some sort of potion, or if a friend transfigured it for her. It's too pretty to be the result of a cruel joke; he remembers when Sirius and James hexed the whole Slytherin Quidditch team to have pink hair, it was hideous, and they were in trouble for weeks…

Sirius again, the perpetual specter.

"Really?" There's a cold edge in her voice. "You don't think it'd look better like this?"

She scrunches up her face, as if in deep concentration, and her hair turns a bright, shocking pink.

Remus tries to hide his surprise: Andromeda hasn't mentioned that her daughter is a Metamorphmagus.

Apparently, he doesn't do well enough, because her expression turns, if possible, colder.

"Freaky, huh? And dangerous, too, because I could turn into _anyone_, without even using Polyjuice Potion, and you wouldn't even know it. I could sneak into the fucking _Ministry of Magic_ and steal all those precious state secrets—I'm a real threat to national security. Honestly, I don't know why I wasn't registered and tagged _years_ ago…"

She pauses for breath and eyes him again. Remus is frozen in his seat.

"And you're with them, right? 'An old friend…' If that isn't code for one of Mum's old pureblood pals, I don't know what is. Well I hate to break it to you, _Mr. Lupin_, but she isn't quite your little Black princess anymore, or haven't you heard? I'm a half-blood, and a half-breed, too, and I don't need your judgment or your rules—"

"I'm a werewolf." The words come out of nowhere, startling even him. He hasn't voluntarily made that admission in years, not since James and Peter and Sirius…

"A what?" she says in a completely different voice. There's shock, and pity. Fear, yes, but laced with a touch of—or does he imagine it—understanding?

"A werewolf," he says clearly. It's easier than he expects. "And I'm not a pureblood. The way I know your mother—well, it's complicated…"

She nods and sinks into a chair by the fire, staring blankly. Andromeda bustles back in with the tea. Remus thanks her as she passes him a cup.

"Andromeda," he says briskly, all awkwardness gone. "What do you think of the new proposal for stricter regulation and control of half-breeds?"

Andromeda looks at him in surprise, warily glances at Nymphadora, notes the change in hair color, and looks back at him, a nearly grateful expression on her face.

"Well, it's complete rubbish of course. That Umbridge witch is a hag… just veiled racism, and if that can pass in the Ministry in this day and age, what in the world did we fight the last war for…"

They pass the next hour comfortably on this topic, Nymphadora even chiming in with references to past ordinances and statutes, always managing to bring it somehow back around to the Aurors.

At half-past four, Andromeda checks her watch.

"Well, I must dash—told Mrs. Dearborn I'd help her prune her Shrivelfig. I trust you can show Mr. Lupin the way out, Nymphadora?"

"Yes, Mum." There is a touch of irony to her tone, but no more than an average teenager when speaking to a parent. Remus bites back a smile.

He fastens his cloak as Andromeda spins into the flames in the fireplace, and Nymphadora walks him to the door.

"Mr. Lupin…" she begins, her hand on the doorknob. "The way you knew my mother—you were friends with her cousin, weren't you? You knew Sirius."

He gulps, and nods. This girl has quite the way of striking him dumb.

"I remember him, you know," she says distantly, staring at the floor. "He used to come 'round to tea. Always brought me chocolate, or something from Zonko's. I think he might've mentioned you once or twice…"

She lifts her eyes. They're grey, he notices. She hasn't morphed them.

"I'm sorry about your other friends, of course, the ones that died… I just never thought that he would be the one to do something like that…"

"Neither did I," he says softly. Sirius, the recurring nightmare, daydream, ghost of a living man. And she remembers him, too, the wonderful person that he was, instead of the monster he became.

She sticks out her hand smartly. "It's been a pleasure meeting you, Mr. Lupin. I hope we'll run into each again soon, although I must warn you in advance that if I am on Auror patrol, I will not acknowledge you, and you probably won't even recognize me, so that won't really be an issue…"

Smiling, he shakes the proffered hand. "Call me Remus, then. And good luck with the Ministry… bring 'em down from within, you know…"

She smiles back and opens the door. "In that case, it's Tonks. I swear, my mother was high when she named me…"

Remus pauses on the doorstep.

"Oh, and I do."

"Do what?" Confused.

"Like your hair even better like that."

And with that he Disapparates.

**A/N:** Wow, this was a plot bunny that came out of nowhere. Mostly I was thinking about Remus in the time after James and Lily's deaths, and before we meet him in PoA. I assumed that he probably had to deal with a lot of demons, including the regulations put in place by the Ministry to corral half-breeds. And then I wondered if Tonks would have had an issue with those same regulations, or if she remembered Sirius at all (she accepts his innocence reasonably quickly, after all), and this was pretty much the result.

So thanks for reading. If you'd like, please leave a review. I've decided to get more serious about actually writing fiction now and again (practice for some original stuff) and I could use the feedback. Thanks!


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Not mine.

**Even Better**

Part II

She was not sure, thought Tonks, that pursuing a life-long dream of becoming an Auror was quite worth the price of living at home again.

Her parents weren't bad, exactly, as parents went, but her mother could be a little overbearing and her father a little overeager and really, how was it possible that she had more freedom at the age of fourteen than at the age of twenty-one?

Really, what was more annoying than anything was the sheer number of visitors that her mother had on any given day. And every single one of them wanted to have a look at Tonks and remark on how grown-up/odd/beautiful/freakish she looked, depending on which appearance she had decided on that day.

The severe-looking witch eyed her from across the sitting room, and Tonks heaved a sigh. Honestly, she felt a bit stuffy in her Auror robes; her wayward youth really was behind her.

Well, perhaps not. She morphed her nose into a bird's beak. The witch gave a start, spilling her tea.

"Quite alright there, Desdemona?" Andromeda asked, her voice soft, but with a sharp look to chastise Tonks.

"Yes, quite…" The witch siphoned up the tea with her wand. "I do apologize. I really should be going. Arkie Philpott was wanting my help with some cheese charming—you know how wanton cheddar can get…"

"Of course. I'll see you out…"

The two older witches left the room, chatting casually about soporific effects of poorly charmed Camembert. Tonks was left in the sitting room to lament the waste of a perfectly good Tuesday evening. If only Remus had been the one to call, she mused. He had said something about bringing an opinion piece from _Transfiguration Today_ that defended the rights of half-breeds.

Of course, Remus had been rather cagey about something after coming back from teaching at Hogwarts. Tonks had run into him at the Leaky Cauldron just after the term ended (she had, thankfully, been off-duty, and so had not had to ignore him as promised) and he'd been inexplicably cheerful for a bloke who'd recently been sacked. Having expected to have to console him over such a ridiculous act of prejudice, Tonks had instead passed an unusually charming hour in which Remus explained and praised a number of his students. Harry Potter's name had come up more than once, and perhaps the boy was the reason behind Remus' quiet euphoria, but it really did seem as if there were something more.

Tonks frowned to herself. It was probably the Auror training, but she had a sudden hankering to find out everything she could about this blasted secret. If only Remus had come to call…

But wait, she was a full-grown witch, was she not? _She_ ought to call on _him_. She marched to the fireplace and plunged her hand into the Floo powder pot before realizing that she wasn't sure where he lived. But she was a witch with a purpose, and the Leaky Cauldron seemed as good a place as any to start her search, so she shouted the name of the tiny pub as she whirled away into the flames.

"Wotcher, Tom," she said brightly as she dusted off her robes.

"'Evenin', Miss Tonks," he replied. "Can I get you anything?"

"Just information," she said professionally, straightening herself. "And… perhaps a small mead…"

"Coming right up," he said, winking at her and reaching behind the bar. "Auror information? Is it about the happenings at the World Cup? That's got a lot of people awfully worried…"

"No, no, not that at all," she said hurriedly. It was now standard practice in the Auror department to avoid all mention of the incident. While things had quieted down in the month or so since, the public had remained on edge, and owl deliveries of cursed envelopes from anxious citizens were not uncommon. "Actually, I was wondering if you could tell me the whereabouts of a Mister Remus Lupin."

"Why, he in trouble?" Tom asked as he handed her the glass.

"No, not—trouble. I… need him to answer some questions about a case. Very important. Urgent, actually. So, if you could just tell me…"

"Yeah, I think I've seen him around…" Tom answered vaguely. "How's your mother doing, by the way? I saw her frigid sister in here the other day… never liked the woman…"

"Narcissa?" Tonks replied, distracted. "Oh yeah, she's a right piece of work—But, Tom! Information! When is the last time you saw Remus Lupin?" She pointed at him sternly over her mead.

"I can't quite remember…" he scratched his head in what Tonks thought was far too theatrical a manner, and smiled toothlessly at her. "I'm sure he'll turn up."

Just then, the door that led to the portal to Diagon Alley opened and a graying man in a threadbare coat walked in.

"Told ya'," said Tom, winking again. "The usual, Mr. Lupin?"

"Thanks, Tom, and I'll have some tea to take up to my room—Tonks! Fancy seeing you here. "

"The lady has some questions for ya'," Tom said sagely, handing Remus a Butterbeer. "It's for an investigation, real important-like. Urgent, even."

"Really?" he turned to her as he sipped his drink. "What sort of investigation? I'll help in any way I can."

"Umm," she said, inventing wildly. "The… the continued investigation on the escape of Sirius Black."

She wasn't quite sure what made her say it. It certainly sounded important enough, and she was pleased to see Tom's eyebrows rise; his poorly-veiled teasing had been starting to rankle. But one look at Remus' face—he had paled considerably—and she regretted her words. Of all people, she should understand how he felt about that particular topic.

Still, she couldn't back down now. She'd explain it all to him once she got him alone.

"It's a private matter," she said primly. "So if you would be so good as to allow us the use of a private sitting room, Tom…"

"Certainly," he said hurriedly, undoing his apron and showing them up the hall from the bar. "Right in here… Shall I bring you some tea?"

"No, that'll be all. Thank you, Tom. Right this way, Mr. Lupin." She ushered him in and closed the door.

If he'd looked pale before, he now appeared positively alarmed. He regarded her, eyes wide, before sinking onto the sofa.

"So…" he cleared his throat. "You said you had some questions for me?"

He clenched his hands in his lap.

"Um, actually… I'm so sorry, Remus. I didn't know what else to say, and I was trying to get out of the mess I built up with Tom…" He regarded her warily. "There isn't an investigation, I promise. I was really just coming to find you."

He nodded stiffly and contemplated the floor.

"And I really, _really_ shouldn't have brought up Sirius, not to you of all people. I was just sitting at my mother's house, and mulling over what had you so happy the last time I saw you, and then before I know it, I'm giving you the third degree and being insensitive and buggering everything up."

She sat down and sighed, looking at her knees.

"It's just, I haven't been properly trained in the area of Case Management yet, so I really can't be blamed for poor planning methods…"

A soft chuckle made her look up. Remus was regarding her warmly, if a bit wryly.

"So," he said. "There's really no investigation?"

"No," she shook her head.

"No case of any kind?"

"No. Well, yes. As far as I know, they've put the Sirius Black case on the back-burner at the moment… Guess he was sighted somewhere in Malaysia. But I'm not associated with it at all."

"So you made up the whole thing just to come and find me? To find out what had me so cheerful the last time I saw you?"

"I was bored," she mumbled. "And all Mum wants to do is talk to some old hag about horny cheese."

At this, Remus let out a full laugh and grinned at her. She grinned back.

"Horny cheese, huh? Did I tell you about the time—I was at Hogwarts—and the four of us—James, Sirius, Peter, and I—we convinced the house elves to slip aphrodisiacs into everyone's food at dinner one night… The riot! I tell you—we received detention, of course, but it was well worth it…"

His eyes sparkled as he animatedly recounted the details. Tonks watched him bemusedly. In all the years she'd known Remus, since the fateful day he'd come over for tea and she'd wrongfully shouted at him for being a pureblood, she'd never seen him quite so happy.

"—one of the Slytherins actually tried to make a move on Professor Slughorn! Padfoot swore the old man reciprocated, but I'm sure that was just him making things up as usual…"

"Padfoot?" Tonks asked quizzically. Remus looked uncomfortable.

"Oh, right… That was—that was our nickname for Sirius." He stared guiltily at his hands.

Guiltily?

"Remus…" Tonks began slowly. "What really happened last year? I mean, you were there… And I know for a fact that they had Sirius Black cornered in Flitwick's office…"

She looked him hard in the face.

"Remus, did you see him?"

Remus stood up suddenly, paced around the room once, then sat back down, wringing his hands as he did so. He met her hard gaze carefully.

"What-?" He coughed and started again. "Tonks, what did you think when you first heard he'd broken out of Azkaban?"

"What did I think?" She frowned, thinking back. She'd been in the Auror office the day the news broke, still a trainee. The tension had been palpable, owls zooming everywhere, flocks of memos caught in a scrum at the ceiling, people rushing in and out of fireplaces. Moody had just left to take some time off after hexing some poor Muggle woman for twirling a baton too near his face, and there was talk of bringing him back immediately; surely he was the only one who could deal with the situation. She'd been delegated some higher-up's case, so that they could help with the search.

But what had she actually _thought_ about the news?

"I thought it would cause a lot of trouble for the Ministry, and I thought—well, I was afraid that I might be put on probation, because I'm related to him…" She paused. Remus's face was carefully blank. "And I thought—hoped that somehow his escape meant that he was innocent. Weird, right? I mean, how could his escape mean anything but that he'd learned enough Dark magic to worm his way free-?"

Remus nodded urgently.

"That's what I thought, too, at first. And then I was at Hogwarts, and you're right—I did see him, and Tonks, you have to believe me, he's _innocent_."

Tonks stared at him, not daring to believe what he said was true. She opened her mouth to speak, but he cut her off.

"I know, I _know_ what you're thinking, but just listen to me, Dumbledore believes me, believes him. He was framed, framed for the explosion, for the Potters, for all of it. Peter—do you remember Peter? I don't know if Sirius mentioned him to you—_he_ was the spy, they switched places…"

He went on to explain everything. How his friends had become animagi for him, how the Secret Keeper had been changed, how Sirius had been thrown to the Dementors without trial. How Harry Potter and his friends had rescued Sirius after he'd been cornered by the Ministry. How Sirius had escaped on a condemned Hippogriff in the dead of night.

And slowly, a warm bubble of hope spread in Tonks' chest, and she understood what had made Remus so happy over the last few months. Sirius—_her_ Sirius—was who she had always thought he was. She smiled through the tears that poured slowly down her cheeks.

"So, do you believe me?" he asked her when he was finished. "It's an awful risk telling you this, I know… But I had to tell someone, and I thought you deserved to know…"

He looked apprehensive, and she thought he had not quite forgotten her pretended investigation; if she were to be a good little Ministry rat, she'd report this all immediately. As it were…

"Of course I believe you, Remus. I always suspected—well, I never quite believed Sirius was guilty in the first place."

He nodded stiffly, looking relieved, and reached out his hand as if to grasp hers, but then seemed to think better of it and left it swinging at his side. Tonks leaned forward and took both his hands in her own.

"Thank you for telling me," she said, looking him in the eyes. He smiled. "I promise I won't tell a soul. Except maybe Mum, but she won't tell anyone." She paused. "And… if you get the chance, let him know I wouldn't mind hearing from him, alright?"

He nodded again, and smiling, pulled her into a hug. She inhaled his warm scent and tried to dismiss the fluttery feelings as Sirius-related.

"Now," he said as he pulled away. "Tell me more about this cheese…"

Several weeks later, a large, beautifully-plumed tropical bird swept majestically through the sitting room window and frightened Arkie Philpott half to death. Tonks caught the letter before the bird took flight again, and grinned at the half-remembered handwriting on the front.

_Wotcher Dora!_

_Guess Remus has seen fit to spill the beans about our little adventure at Hogwarts, though the way he's been going on about you, I really shouldn't be surprised—dear old Moony's absolute rubbish around pretty girls. You'd better not go corrupting his innocence, dear little cousin, or I will have something to say about it!_

_Really, though, having you know makes this whole free-from-Azkaban thing even better. A friendly Auror is such a rare commodity. Don't be a stranger._

_Sirius_

A/N: Hello again! Thanks for reading, and I hope you liked this second part of my very unplanned little ficlet. I got a request for a second part, and I realized I really did want to see Tonks find out that Sirius was innocent, so this happened.

I'm really hoping to practice some creative writing on a bit more frequent of a basis, and any feedback is much appreciated—be as harsh as you like. I'm also considering writing a third part to this (maybe when Tonks is asked to join the Order?) or perhaps starting a new fic. If you have any suggestions, I'd love to hear them, though I'll probably be sticking to one-shots for a while yet.

-Sam


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